Hey guys! It's my favorite time of year again! Obviously that means I'm going to be placing an order for Christmas soon, and I want to make sure that I don't make a mistake by ordering something that is less than great. Here is what I'm planning to order with reasons of why I am getting them.

1. The Magic Menu (Both volumes) - To find a variety of commercial material that can be done in many environments. Also to enjoy reading a great magic periodical of the past.2. Best of Friends Vol. 1 - I know Akirafist said he didn't like this that much, but I am willing to give it a try, considering the variety of material contained within it. Plus, I love Harry Lorayne's writing style. I'm hoping to find some good, practical, card magic. 3. Maximum Entertainment - To learn how to present myself better on stage. To go past the tricks and learn how actually be a great performer.4. Stars of Magic - To study some of the classic masters of magic and their magic. 5. Carneycopia - To learn John Carney's great, commercial, creative material.6. Magic Showmanship - Once again, to improve my performing skills.7. Card Guard Superior - To stop my cards and card case from getting torn up in my pocket so easily.

Any comments? Anything I should take out? Add in? Replace? Christmas is approaching fast, and I can't WAIT!

I will HIGHLY recommend Scripting Magic and Maximum Entertainment to anyone learning magic. Maximum Entertainment is one of the best books I've ever read and one of the few that's kept me fascinated from start to finish.

Maximum entertainment is a very good book indeed. It covers everything from performing to setting up your stage. I however liked "Strong Magic" by Darwin Ortiz over Maximum Entertainment. Maybe because the concepts inside appealed to me more. But I would say focus on books that discuss performance and psycology over books that teach tricks. A magician shows many tricks, an artist masters a few and performs them elegantly.

I agree with Nicoletta. I just finished Maximum Entertainment and I preferred Strong Magic. I would say that they are complimentary. Maximum Entertainment covers more of the things that surround your magic such as lights, staging, blocking, sound systems, etc. Maximum Entertainment covers a lot of the things we don't think about and no one has ever had the courage to say to our faces. For example, things we say that do not add to the entertainment but divert from it instead. It was a great read. However, I came from a theater background so I already knew quite a bit about what Weber was teaching. I thought Weber could have arranged the material a bit better and provided more depth. It is oriented towards the stage performer so this might be the best fit for you. Great book - you'd love it.

Whereas Strong Magic has an incredible detail on the routine, trick construction, character development, scripting, rehearsing, costume/clothes, developing a fully developed set from your opener to the closer. I've read the book several times and it is still my favorite book on magic.

Tommy Wonder's Books of Wonder is something you might want to consider. That guy was a freaking amazing thinker. So much to learn from that guy. It has a good mix of magic tricks and essays on magic presentation and routine construction.

First of all, thanks to ALL of you for your recommendations! I have looked into Scripting Magic and I think it would be a great addition to my "library." About Maximum Entertainment; I'm wondering if it is as good for close-up performers (such as myself) as it is for stage performers. Would I perhaps be better off getting Scripting Magic instead of Maximum Entertainment for close-up performances? Let me know what you think...

By the way, thankfully I do already own and have read Strong Magic, which I really enjoyed! Designing Miracles is definitely on the future wish list.

Finally, the Books of Wonder are also a future purchase, but for right now, they're a little above the price point. Tommy Wonder certainly was a fantastic performer, so just studying any of his "teachings" would, I'm sure, prove to be a rewarding learning opportunity.

P.S. For future reference, Juan Tamariz is obviously one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, close-up performer alive today. So do any of you have his book Five Points in Magic?

EDIT: And while we're on the subject of books on theory, what are your guys' thoughts on the Fitzkee Trilogy? Are the above mentioned books more relevant, modern and practical? Do you consider the trilogy to be essential reading?

Tamariz's Five Points is a terrific resource, and a swift read. It also looks good on a magic shelf.

Can't recommend Scripting Magic enough. It's a VERY important work on making sense of it all, and taking the hamfisted-ness out of one's "words". I'm not keen on cliches, but it's a book that truly did change a lot for me.

Designing Miracles is also a marvelous follow-up for Strong Magic (which is one of, if not THE most important single magic book in my library).

As for a card guard...not much use found on this end. They're really only important if you're flourish-heavy IMHO. However, I'm also a Traditional-Bike-Bulk-Decks-from-Costco kinda guy...if you collect and use all the fancy decks (Ghosts, Tigers, Dragons, Rainbows, oh MY!) then maybe it's a worthy purchase. Frankly, for the cost of a decent guard, you can probably have Scripting Magic instead...which I'd label as more value down the line.

Man I have been reading Scripting Magic and I am HOOKED! It's so readable and filled with great advice, interviews, effects, example scripts, etc. Even though I'm only 70 pages in (I'm trying to savor it slowly) I think I can confidently say that Scripting Magic is a GREAT book that will help take anybody's magic, no matter what the style, to the next level. Thank you guys so much for recommending it to me!

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